Lift mechanism for sliding doors



June. 13, 1950 F. DITCHFIELD 2,511,570

LIFT MECHANISM FOR SLIDING nooRs Filed April 5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l aaz za /2 a4 l aa June 13, 1950 F. DITCHFIELD LIFT MECHANISM FoR- SLIDINGDooRs 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 unl' Filed April 5, 1947 Patented June 13, 1950UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIFT MECHANISM FOR SLIDING DOORS FrankDitchiield, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Youngstown Steel DoorCompany, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 5,1947, Serial No. 739,586

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to lift mechanism for sliding doors of railwayhouse cars.

It is an object of this invention to provide lift mechanism for slidingdoors of railway house cars so constructed and disposed as to materiallyreduce the over-all distance between mechanisms on opposite sides of thecars and permit a substantial increase in the inside width of such cars.

A further object is to provide lift mechanism of the character set forthabove which shall permit an increase in the inside width of railwayhouse cars without modiiication of the body of said cars.

A further object is to provide lift mechanism for sliding car doorswhich shall embody interchangeable roller retainers that do not requirenormally superfluous material to obtain interchangeability.

A further object is to provide lift mechanism for sliding doors whichshall permit elimination of lever guide brackets heretofore utilizedwith such mechanism.

A further object is to provide lift mechanism for sliding doors soconstructed and arranged that bars connecting the roller retainers ofsaid mechanism for simultaneous operation shall be subjected to tensionrather than compression upon operation of said mechanism.

A further object is to provide lift mechanism for sliding doors whichshall embody operating levers capable of disposition on the outside ofand wholly Within the outer plane of the doors.

A further object is to provide lift mechanism for sliding doors whichshall obtain a reduction in cost.

A further object is to provide lift mechanism for sliding doors whoseprojection outwardly from the doors shall be so restricted as to obtaina single standard mechanism suitable for use upon cars of varying widthswithout exceeding the prescribed minimum limits.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the descriptionthereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Eig. l is a fragmentary elevation showing a lift mechanism embodying theinstant invention applied to a sliding railway house car door, the doorbeing shown in lowered position.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the door being shown in elevatedposition.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the rear edge of the door.

A preferred embodiment of the instant invention is shown applied to onetype of sliding railway house car doors. The door Il! utilized for thepurpose of illustrating the invention embodies a construction moreclearly illustrated and described in the co-pending application ofWilfred A. Beauchamp, Serial No. 640,767, iiled January 12, 1946. Asillustrated, the door I3 embodies a corrugated metallic panel II whosefront, rear, and bottom marginal portions are inclined outwardly asindicated at I2, I3 and I4 from the main or inner plane of the panel andterminate in anges I5, I6 and I1 parallel to the panel and lying in theouter plane thereof.

The lower margin of the panel is reinforced by means of a backing plateI8 secured to the inner face of thepanel II substantially in the mainplane thereof as by means of rivets IS. The lower margin of the panel isalso reinforced by means of a plate 20 secured as by means of rivets 2lto the outwardly offset margin I'I of the panel. Below the lower edge ofthe panel II plate 20 is inclined downwardly and outwardly as indicatedat 22 beyond the outer plane of the panel. Plate 20 then extendsdownwardly as indicated at 23 inwardly as indicated at 24 and terminatesin a relatively short upstanding flange 25 which is secured preferablyby welding to the outer face of the backing plate I8.

The front vertical margin of the door is reinforced by means of asubstantially Z-shaped member having a iiange 26 secured upon the angeI5 and the bottom plate member 20, an inwardly extending web 2l, aforwardly extending ange 28, and an outwardly extending flange 29. Toobtain securement of the flange 26 Vof the front vertical reinforcementupon the bottom plate member 2|] the latter is. oiset inwardly asindicated at 30.

The rear vertical margin of the door is reinforced by means of asubstantially W-shaped member having a ange 3l secured upon the ilangeI6 of the panel and the bottom plate member 20, an inwardly extendingweb 32, a rearwardly extending flange 33 and an inwardly extendingflange 34. In order to obtain securement of the ange 3| of the rearvertical reinforcement upon the bottom plate 20, the latter is offsetinwardly as indicated at 35. p

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the door panelil, backingv plate I8, bottom plate 2li, and the front and rear verticalreinforcing members constitute a substantially tubular formation withinwhich the lift mechanism of the instant invention is adapted to bereceived. This mechanism embodies identical and interchangeable rollerretainers 35 and 31 carrying pins 38 and 39 upon which rollers 40 and 4Iare mounted. The front roller retainer 36, which is preferably in theform of a casting, is provided with outer and inner trunnions 42 and d3disposed in offset relationship to the roller pin 33 and journalledrespectively in the bottom plate 20 and in the web 44 of a substantiallybathtub-shaped bracket d secured as by means of rivets 46 and 41 to thebottom plate 20. Similarly, the rear roller retainer 31 carries outerand inner trunnions 48 and 49 which are offset relatively to the rollerpin 39 and are journalled respectively in the bottom plate 2D and in theweb 50 of a substantially bathtub-shaped bracket 5l which is secured asby means or" rivets 52 and 53 to the bottom plate. It will be apparentfrom Figs. l and 3 of the drawings that although the roller retainers 35and 31 are fully interchangeable, this is accomplished without the useof any superuous material as has heretofore been required.

Simultaneous operation of' the roller retainers 36 and 31 is obtained bymeans of a connecting bar 54 the ends of which are mounted upon pins 55and 56 fastened respectively' to theV roller retainers. In view of thefact that the connecting bar 54 is placed in tension upon the operationof the lift mechanism as hereinafter more fully explained, this bar maybe in the form of a flat strap or any other member to which tension onlymay be applied.

In order to actuate the roller retainers to impart lift to the door, alever and a link are employed. The lever 51 is pivotally mounted at itslower end upon the rearwardly extending flange 3'3 of the rear verticalreinforcing member. For this purpose a plate 58 is secured as by meansof rivets 59 upon the inwardly offset portion 65 of the bottom plate 20.The plate 58 extends rearwardly in spaced overlapping relationship withthe flange 33. The lower end of the lever 51 lies within this space andis secured to the plate member 53 and the flange 33 as by means of arivet 6l which carries a sleeve S adapted to maintain the lever` againstshifting along the rivet. It will be apparent particularly from Fig. 3of the drawings that the plate member 58 lies inwardly of the outerplane of the door and that while the lever 51 lies upon the outside ofthe door, it too is within the outer plane of the door.

A link 62 is pivotally mounted upon the pin 55 of the rear rollerretainer 31 and is pivotally connected to the lever 51. For this purposea substantially Z-shaped plate s3 is secured upon the inner face of thelever 51 as by means of rivets 64 so that the link 62 may be receivedbetween the plate 63 and the lever and pivotally fastened thereto as bymeans of a rivet 55. To permit the pivotal connections between link 52and the lever 51, the web 32 of the rear vertical reinforcing member isslotted as indicated at 65. The pivotal connection between the link 52and the lever 5 1 is not only obtained in this manner but the slot S6serves additionally as a guide and retaining' means for the link and thelever thereby eliminating the guide and retaining quadrants normallyutilized in connection with the operating levers of other liftmechanisms.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the entire lift mechanismlies wholly within the outermost plane of the door. To move the doorfrom the closed position illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings theoperating lever 51 is pulled downwardly in clockwise direction as shownin Fig. 2 of the drawings. A corresponding pull is exerted through thelink 62 upon the rear roller retainer 31. This retainer in turn exerts apull upon the connecting bar 5e which imparts simultaneous movement tothe front roller retainer 35. The door is thereby lifted uniformly abovethe supporting track 51 through the pivotal engagement between thetrunnions on the roller retainers and their bearings in the brackets c5and 5| and bottom plate 2G. When the door has been elevated, its weighthas been transferred from the track directly to the rollers and it maythen readily be moved in opening direction. Upon the release of theoperating lever 51 the door will automatically re-seat itself upon thetrack. When the door is thus frictionally supported upon the track theroller retainers and 31 are caused to bear against resilient rubberblocks S8 and 69 whereby the vertical position of the operating lever 51is maintained.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in thedetails of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. Itis intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes becomprehended within this invention which is to be limited only by thescope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a railway house car having a sliding lift door embodying a panel,covering means on the lower margin of said door extending outwardly ofthe inner plane of said panel and lying within the tunnel clearancelimit of said car, the rear margin of said door lying inwardly of saidcovering means, spaced front and rear roller retainers disposed withinsaid covering means and outwardly of the inner plane of said panel,means operatively connecting said retainers in lifting relationship withsaid door, rollers carried by said retainers, means within said coveringmeans ccnnecting said retainers for simultaneous movement, a verticallever pivotally mounted upon said rear margin and on the outside of saiddoor, said lever lying inwardly of said covering means, a link withinsaid covering means pivotally connected to said rear retainer, a slot insaid door, between said panel and said covering means, said linkextending through said slot and being pivotally connected to said lever,the operation of said lever to elevate said. door placing saidconnecting means and link in tension.

2. In a railway house car having an outside sliding lift door, said doorhaving a box section along the lower margin thereof terminating short ofthe rear edge of said door to provide a marginal portion lying inwardlyof the outer plane of said box section, the outer plane of said boxsection lying within the tunnel clearance limit of said car, doorlifting means within said box section, a vertical lever pivotallymounted on said marginal door portion inwardly of the outer plane ofsaid box section, a link pivotally connected to said lifting means, saidlink extending through a slot in said door, and means pivotallyconnecting said link to said lever.

3. In a railway house car having an outside sliding lift door, said doorhaving a box section along the lower margin thereof embodying an outerplate member lying within the tunnel clearance limit of said car andterminating short of the rear edge of said door and rear verticalreinforcing member, said reinforcing member having a forwardly extendingflange overlapping said plate member, a flange extending inwardlytherefrom across said box section, and a rearwardly extending flangelying inwardly of said plate member. door lifting means within said boxsection, a vertical lever pivotally mounted on said last mentionedflange in each of said plate members, a link pivotally connected to saidlifting means, said link extending through a slot in said inwardlyextending flange, and means pivotally connecting said link to saidlever.

FRANK DITCHFIELD.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 916,804 Troon Mar. 30, 19092,055,516 Beauchamp Sept. 29, 1936 2,055,807 Tobin Sept. 29, 1936 l02,096,569 Wasberg Oct. 19, 1937 2,347,255 Ditcheld Apr. 25, 1944

